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Monday

to affirm a broken soul

he walks by daily,
mouth opening and releasing beauty unheard of.
we watch him from picture windows,
seven children and i,
watch him walk by singing opera unabashedly,
pouring heart out in song as if there were no one around,
just him and God.

we watch him for three years as he
walks by our house each day on his way
home from the local high school.
we listen,
awestruck.
sometimes we are outside when he comes by and
those days his song stays within him as
he hangs his head,
trying not to be seen.
eventually i catch his eye,
glancing up from under shaggy hair behind which he hides and
i smile and he,
he half smiles back.

three years.
not one word.
until the day comes when we are outside and
he is quietly stealing by and
moses sees him and yells hello and
begs me to talk to the boy.
and so i speak words three years in the making,
"you have a wonderful voice."

boy freezes,
taken aback.
slowly he turns and whispers,
"what?" and i, i rephrase my words,
"I hear you sing. You have such
a great voice."

And his face lights up, stuttered words come out of him.
"Thank you! Wow, really? Thank you,
you have no idea how much that means. Do you really think so?"

"Oh yes. Truly. Where do you sing?"

Still beaming, boy with amazing opera voice looks down,
"Nowhere. No. I don't sing for anyone, just here,
just myself."

And then he looks, pleading
at me.
"Do you really think so? Think I am good?"

With smile ocean wide and skip to his step,
boy whispers,
"thank you so much. So much."

He continues on his way, head held higher and we
watch him go, pearl waving and yelling "bye bye!"
I think of his face, his body's reaction to being affirmed and
I breathe deep, knowing this boy,
this bearer of talent hidden in snow
was somehow, by few words shared on cracked sidewalk,
given something his soul was in such
desperate need of.

I don't know where he will go in life or
how he will use his beautiful talent,
but my prayer is those words of affirmation he received
will stay with him, giving him confidence
to pursue dreams.
Because that's something we could all use...
confidence to pursue dreams.